Arbus has roles in television and films from as early as 1969, but stopped acting around 2000. He is likely best known for a recurring role on “M*A*S*H,” a popular show in the 1970’s and 1980’s, in which he was a caustic psychiatrist.

One of his colleagues on the set said he played his role well.

“I was so convinced that he was a psychiatrist I used to sit and talk with him between scenes,” Mr. Alda said in an interview with the Archive of American Television, according to the New York Times. “After a couple months of that I noticed he was giving me these strange looks, like ‘How would I know the answer to that?’ ”

Arbus was born in New York City in 1918 and grew up living in the city, before serving in World War II as a photographer in Burma.

He also acted in other famous television series, dropping in for an episode in “Taxi” and another in “Starsky and Hutch.”